Whisky Focus - Memorial To Charles Grant Gordon 'Mr. Scotch Whisky'

Charles Grant Gordon, who you could say is the man who gave the world Glenfiddich Scotch whisky, has been remembered at international memorial services in New York and Scotland. Charlie, as he was affectionately known, together with his brother Alexander "Sandy" were responsible for building their family drinks business, William Grant & Sons Ltd, into one of the world’s leading producers of Scotch whiskies including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie and Grant’s which today exports to over 180 countries and has annual sales of over £1 billion even in the current global recession.

Charlie, who was Life President of William Grant & Sons, died in New York on December 21st 2013, aged 86, surrounded by his family after a short illness.

Charlie was a natural salesman, enjoying the cut and thrust of business and the thrill of the next sale. It was mainly his infectious drive and enthusiasm, along with the innovative choices he made along the way, that are responsible for bringing the Grant’s brand into the modern era and for turning it into the global success it is today.

His contribution to the worldwide drinks trade was huge, he played a pivotal role in the global development of Scotch whisky, and fittingly, Glenfiddich, the single malt that he was instrumental in launching to international acclaim, this launch marked the beginning of the single malt whisky category as we know it today.

Charlie's contribution to the worldwide drinks trade was marked at special memorial services held in New York on February 18th and in his hometown of Glasgow in Scotland today February 21st.

Charlie was a large personality to his family, friends and to all those that he met in the course of his life, Charlie's warmth and charm as well as his unique perceptiveness and long-term vision led William Grant & Sons to the international recognition it enjoys today.

Charles Grant Gordon 'Mr. Scotch Whisky'

Born on Sunday, the 21st of August, 1927 in Glasgow, Scotland, the elder son of William Grant Gordon, and Janet Grant, a doctor. Charlie’s brother, Alexander “Sandy” Grant Gordon to whom he was very close all his life, was born four years later in May, 1931.

At the time, the family lived in Bearsden, Glasgow, where Charles first attended the local primary school. His father was devoted to him, and they spent much time together, with his father explaining to him all things including business matters about the industry. Soon he changed schools, and attended Glasgow Academy, where he prepared himself for his next move to boarding school.

Charles went on to Ardvreck Boarding School in Crieff, where as an independent young man, he continued his education in preparation for attending Rugby Public School in Warwickshire, England, during the first years of the Second World War. The reality of the war was very evident to him at Rugby when from the dormitories at night he could see fires burning in Coventry during the Blitz.

Always close to his two aunts, Janet Sheed Roberts and Elizabeth Gordon, Charles spent many of his holidays with them at Hazelwood, Craigellachie in Dufftown, Scotland. Indeed, this was where he was evacuated to in August 1939 at the outbreak of the war, and later spent all of his holiday time, before leaving school and joining the Royal Navy.

As a youngster, Charlie found it difficult to pronounce his aunts’ names, and so called them “Wee Janie” and “Big Janie” according to their relative sizes. It was the Wee Janie that he became the closest to, and he kept in touch with her at least weekly for the rest of her life until she passed away in 2012 at the age of110.

On joining the Navy in June 1945, Charles was despatched to the Mediterranean aboard the cruiser, HMS Sussex. He served on various vessels based out of Malta, keeping the convoys going and replenishing submarines, before returning to the UK aboard HMS Illustrious in January 1948 at the end of his service.

On returning to Scotland, Charlie seized the opportunity to get an accounting qualification at Glasgow University. He became a Chartered Accountant in May 1951 and joined the family firm on November 5th, 1951.

Charlie had always been close to his father, and knew a fair bit about the family business, so he had a good head start. He also benefited from some training at the beginning of his working career with Hugh Baird (maltsters), North British (grain distillers), and Linkwood malt distillery. His father was Managing Director of the family business, and soon gave his son his first assignment to go to Glenfiddich Distillery, where he was told to find out "what the hell was happening" and get on with the rebuilding of the distillery.

It was not long before catastrophe struck, his father died on June 5th, 1953 (at the age of 53), placing a great responsibility on Charlie, as the eldest son, for the future of the family firm. Charlie became a Director of the Company two weeks later, and he was joined on the board by the husband of the “Wee Janie”, Eric Lloyd Roberts, who brought in more experience from outside to help maintain momentum.

During these difficult times, Charlie was also courting his wife-to-be, Margaret Louise Eccles, in Glasgow. Louise was a radiographer working at the city’s Western Infirmary. They were married in Glasgow on July 1st, 1954, with his brother, Sandy, as best man.

Charlie was also supported by his brother, Sandy, who joined the business in 1954, and together through thick and thin, often with lengthy debates and some arguments, they tackled all the problems that confronted them and plotted a successful path for the business. The business, although doing well, was not a large one, partly because the company had refused to get involved in any bootlegging activities during pre-war prohibition.

For Charlie, there was no stopping his drive and enthusiasm, and in 1953 he travelled to the USA to meet Ken Peters at Austin Nichols to begin his expansion plans. The USA represented 50 per cent of company sales at that time, and the market seemed limitless. Later that year, he travelled to Central America, where he met his life-long friend and mentor, Alberto Motta. They formed an immediate bond, and soon travelled all over South America with Alberto acting as translator for Charles who could not speak a word of any other language, but soon learnt!

There was much work to be done, and Charlie travelled extensively during the 1950’s, often accompanied by Louise. One trip to Africa in late 1955, took place when Louise was pregnant, with their eldest son, Grant Edward Gordon. Their second and third sons, Grant Glenn Gordon and Lloyd Grant Gordon followed in due course.

Another big step for the company was announced in Ridley’s Wine & Spirit Trade Circular on November 16th, 1956 as the company launched its new triangular bottle, which was designed by Hans Schleger, one of the 20th Century’s most iconic graphic designers. This was revolutionary for its time, and still retains its iconic status in the world of whisky, today embodied in the Grant’s Family Reserve blend (the number three blended whisky in the world) and Glenfiddich Single Malt (the malt market leader).

Simultaneously, Charlie also developed a passion for sailing with the purchase of his first boat, Yala, on which he took his family sailing with the young ones tied in their prams to the mast. Despite being hard work, with the need to dismantle and rebuild the engine, which Louise ably assisted with, Charlie’s enthusiasm only grew, and this led to a long series of new and more adventurous boats with which he sailed all over the world, including a circumnavigation later on in the 1990’s.


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